Recently, metallopolymer nanocomposites prepared from synthetic polymers with metal centers have received attention as next generation hybrid materials. Such metallopolymer nanocomposites contain typical elements (main group elements), transition elements (transition metal elements) or rare earth elements as central elements and may have various structures depending on the central metals and linkages, for example, depending on whether the central metals are introduced into the backbones or side chains of the polymers or are linear or branched. Polymers have easy-to-control mechanical properties and good formability compared to inorganic materials. Accordingly, metallopolymer nanocomposites can be imparted with various functions by strict design of the chemical structure of the polymers.
Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is the most widely used polymeric material except for polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is highly compatible in terms of mechanical properties and processability and can be useful in a range of applications, such as insulators and flame retardants. Particularly, PVC is widely used in construction applications because it is easy to process and cheap. The production of PVC in Korea is estimated to be 400 thousand tons in 2016. However, PVC has some drawbacks owing to its low thermal stability and strength. The presence of labile chlorines and internal allyl chlorides reduces the thermal stability of PVC.
In view of this situation, the present inventors have undertaken extensive studies to overcome the above drawbacks, and as a result, found that when a nucleophilic thiol having mercapto functional groups is introduced in PVC, a PVC-based metallopolymer nanocomposite can be prepared with improved economic efficiency and compatibility and can be used in various applications due to its high thermal stability. The present invention has been achieved based on this finding.